Formula 1 heads to Great Britain this weekend for round nine of the 2026 F1 season with Lewis Hamilton looking to convert pole position in sprint qualifying into points. The Ferrari driver capitalised on a thrilling Friday to finish sprint qualifying ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but he has a tough task to claim victory in today’s race. Hamilton, who has won a record nine times around Silverstone, topped the table following the qualifying session but only by 0.011 seconds ahead of Antonelli. Hamilton must now hold onto that lead for the 17 laps of the sprint race to claw back some points in the drivers’ championship before excelling again in this afternoon’s full qualifying session. Meanwhile, Verstappen will look to build on his P2 finish from Austria and Mercedes’ George Russell must find some speed if he is to keep up the pace with teammate Antonelli. Follow the British Grand Prix with The Independent. Lewis Hamilton on winning pole position"I can't express to you how big a dream it is, still to this day, building up to this day. When you think about every corner and the kind of the flow you can get into at this track, and if you've got the set-up right and the right team," said Hamilton after sprint qualifying."The car has felt really great today - thanks to everyone back at the factory. We're continuing to push, bringing tiny little bits here. Every single weekend we're showing up and everyone has pushed to the max."I'm really grateful to get that pole. I was quick through all the sessions, but I was very close to these guys and the team really deserves it, so big thank you to everyone here."We're ahead of the Mercedes and the Red Bulls - these guys have so much power, they've been doing amazing all year. The boys in blue [Mercedes] this weekend but my team just won't let up, that's what I'm so proud of.“It won't always be like this. We didn't expect at Silverstone that we would be competing for the front row. We really didn't, so this is an amazing surprise."Mike Jones4 July 2026 10:43Lewis Hamilton clinches pole position for British GP sprint race ahead of Kimi AntonelliLewis Hamilton claimed a remarkable pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at the British Grand Prix after a thrilling Friday at Silverstone saw him top the leaderboard through practice and each of the three qualifying sessions.Hamilton’s victory at the Barcelona Grand Prix two weeks ago - his first in Ferrari red - has lit a fire under the seven-time Formula 1 champion who is seeking to close the gap on the drivers’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton, who finished fifth in Austria last time out, seemed to feed off the energy of his home crowd as he came out onto track with focus and intensity.Mike Jones4 July 2026 10:37When is the British Grand Prix?All times BSTSaturday 4 JulySprint race: 12pm Qualifying: 4pm Sunday 5 JulyRace: 3pm Mike Jones4 July 2026 10:31Good morning!Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Formula 1 action as the British Grand Prix continues. Friday saw some thrilling action as Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position ahead of Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. That is for today’s sprint race which kicks off proceedings ahead of full qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Ferrari have looked in good touch but can Mercedes bounce back in the two competitive races that matter? Mike Jones4 July 2026 10:25